Know Thy Neighbor

      This year in English, I have the opportunity to sit in between two lovely ladies that always make 4th hour seem to go by a lot faster. On my left is Callie McMullin. I believe I met her sometime last year through mutual friends and through Spanish Club. Before that, we had never had any classes together and thus I had never been given the opportunity to meet and befriend her. Looking back on last year, I'm forever grateful that I got that chance. If I had to choose an animal to best describe her, it would be a Koala Bear. Koalas tend to be very independent and that is exactly how I see Callie. She knows what she wants in life and she isn't going to let anything get in her way or let any negativity bring her down. On the other hand, Koalas are also very loving and thus after them is named the "koala hug" in which a person will hold on tightly to another and furiously hang on very tightly. I also see Callie doing this - and not only because I've actually physically seen her do this to people either. Anytime myself or anyone else is in a bad mood, she goes out of her way to attempt to cheer them up even if it is an inconvenience to her. That is one of the many aspects of Callie that I truly respect and admire. I would like to say that we support each other anytime the other needs a helping hand. If I hadn't met her last year, I'm not quite what would have happened.
      On the other side of me, my right side, sits Sarah Laytham. Much like Callie, I didn't know Sarah until last year. In fact, I believe it was last years 4th hour English class with Mr. Behler where I met Sarah. I remember, it was Sarah, Bay Phillips, Josh Day and myself at a table together. That was the best table I sat in all year. Between joking about alcoholism, poking fun at ourselves, or Josh and I suggesting that Bay and Sarah draw sharks and llamas in their notebooks, I'm fairly positive Mr. Behler got an interesting ear-full every single day. He probably thought we were insane. Sarah and I only have a surface relationship for I don't know much about her aspirations in life. One thing I am certain in though is that she is a phenomenal artist and it would be a shame if she chose to not continue with it. Oh, plus she has good taste in manga - that's another thing we did in English last year too. I realize I am not Sarah's first choice in that class and I am completely fine with that because it is unnecessary. One may still have an amicable relationship with someone they sit by without having to constantly be interacting or working together for everything. In 5 years, I see Sarah to be very successful in the endeavor she chooses just because she is so extremely determined that I know once she sets her mind to something, if her heart is really in it, she will truly strive to make it happen.
      Between both Sarah and Callie, I know they have a lot to deal with seeing as how I can be a handful at times. Whether I'm stressing out, having a bad day, or just having a truly wonderful day, I know those girls will always try and make me feel better or perhaps I can offer some positivity to them when they need it. Whether it be just because of the seat partner obligation, I find that irrelevant. Everyone has their moments but knowing you have someone to help with those stressful moments, even for just 45 minutes a day, can sometimes relieve a majority of the pressure. Sometimes, the non-judgmental ear of a seat partner is all one needs to blow off some steam. Nobody should ever reject a helping hand.